Trying to figure out where to move to in Oregon (Medford: university, organic)

[patches403]

Originally Posted by lostsoul94

Thank you all. Does anyone know about Klamath Falls? It looks so beautiful. Does anyone know what its like to live there? I currently work at a bank as a Home Mortgage processor and my boyfriend puts sheet metal on buildings so we need an area that could provide these sort of jobs?

If you're looking for jobs in the banking and construction industries, Klamath Falls won't be your best choice. You need to move to a medium to large metro area where there are lots of banking jobs and construction is booming. Southern Oregon doesn't have much in the way of job opportunity for newcomers.

Any particular reason why you picked Oregon as a place you want to live? Have you ever actually visited Oregon/Washington/Idaho before? I agree with one of the posters above who mentioned Spokane as a place you should look. That and I would look at Boise as well.

[lostsoul94]

Oregon just seems very beautiful and affordable. I have been looking in Washington some. I just like the idea of living in a smaller town that is near a larger one. The mountain views are my favorite, I don't know why but that's one big thing that I have been looking at.

[StealthRabbit]

Colville, WA; Newport, WA; Rockford, WA;
Hayden, Sandpoint, ID
Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Whitefish, MT

Excellent for your recreation and careers. (and lifelong income / Quality of life)

[freidenbach]

Originally Posted by therese marie

Don't let fear rule your life.. Honestly there are a million ways you could die.. That is only one of them.. SO those odds are much better..
I am sure the scientist from the Universities are still living in Oregon too..

Sheesh, I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of losing my house and being unable to rebuild. According to the OPB Aftershock app, in my zip code the ground is likely to become so deformed that rebuilding will be iffy.

Unlike the geologists who are still living in OR, I've been self-employed for most of my career. No pension, no 401(k). My house is my only major asset and I'm less than 10 years from retirement.

Californians who have experienced quakes associated with a slip-slide fault are way too complacent about what the Cascade subduction zone has in store.

Maybe someone has more advice for the OP?

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by freidenbach

Sheesh, I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of losing my house and being unable to rebuild. According to the OPB Aftershock app, in my zip code the ground is likely to become so deformed that rebuilding will be iffy.

Unlike the geologists who are still living in OR, I've been self-employed for most of my career. No pension, no 401(k). My house is my only major asset and I'm less than 10 years from retirement.

Californians who have experienced quakes associated with a slip-slide fault are way too complacent about what the Cascade subduction zone has in store.

Maybe someone has more advice for the OP?

So you are worried about something that there is a 62% chance will never happen in your lifetime, and if it does happen will be over in about 10 seconds, and chances are that you and your house will come through it just fine? You understand that in even the worst earthquake only a very small amount of structures are even damaged, right?

Oregon is in a minor to moderate zone for earthquake damage. The only place you could go to be safer would be Texas, Florida, or the Gulf Coast, and then you would be dealing with hurricanes and tornados. Which are far more frequent and more damaging than earthquakes.

[Russspeak]

Originally Posted by freidenbach

Sheesh, I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of losing my house and being unable to rebuild. According to the OPB Aftershock app, in my zip code the ground is likely to become so deformed that rebuilding will be iffy.

Unlike the geologists who are still living in OR, I've been self-employed for most of my career. No pension, no 401(k). My house is my only major asset and I'm less than 10 years from retirement.

Californians who have experienced quakes associated with a slip-slide fault are way too complacent about what the Cascade subduction zone has in store.

Maybe someone has more advice for the OP?

I think you are being overly alarmist, imo. While I'm as concerned as anyone about these kinds of natural disasters, going around telling people what you THINK will be the outcome really is not productive and might make you sound a bit like Chicken Little.

Even the experts won't attempt to predict what the exact outcome of any such event will be - while the odds may favor another "big one", there's absolutely no guarantee when or even IF such an event will occur. There could simply continue to be moderately large quakes as they release pressure, and while it could happen tomorrow, it also might not happen for another 100 years or more. People have been predicting that the west coast of Cali was going to slide into the ocean since I can remember, back in the 60's even.

Same goes for the super-volcano in eastern Idaho - folks been saying that's due to blow any time now... for over 35 years now and nothing has happened. Sure, you want to be safe, but there's a limit you know, and you really have to gauge the degree of risk. Living next to a modern nuclear power plant may not be all that risky, but if it's next to a fault zone, then yes that would be enough reason to move I suppose. But just knowing you're in an area prone to quakes, well we've been doing it for centuries now and the level of risk probably isn't worth considering, unless geologists actually come out and warn us that somethings about to happen (yeah guess you'd still lose your investment MAYBE, if it turns out to be the worst case scenario).

I do understand you concerns though, and it's actually one of the factors I took into consideration before deciding to move out here, you just have to balance the probabilities, be prepared when you can, and then simply hope for the best. ;?)

OR, you might consider selling your house and using that money to build one that will stand up to a 9. quake - they're doing it in Japan, I've seen some cool ideas about building house on slip-pads, where pins shear under a certain amount of lateral force allowing the home to slide back and forth. Other ways of bonding walls, using latteral rebar reinforced layers in masonary/CEB constrution, makes walls highly resistant to quake damage and more. Lots of techs out there, you just need to see if retrofitting will work or if you need to sell and move to a piece of property with the important characteristics you need to be safe. Me, I'm planning on a sub-level dwelling akin to a Hobbit hole made with compressed earth blocks built on a heavily reinforced foundation plate to meet that challenge. Plus the look really organic, really cool (literally ;?) homes, imo lol.

[American Expat]

Originally Posted by lostsoul94

Thank you all. Does anyone know about Klamath Falls? It looks so beautiful. Does anyone know what its like to live there? I currently work at a bank as a Home Mortgage processor and my boyfriend puts sheet metal on buildings so we need an area that could provide these sort of jobs?

It's a beautiful area that has a lovely climate (if you don't mind a bit of snow and cold) with probably the most sun in the PNW and it's inexpensive but not a place with good job opportunity and it's a bit remote out there so some would like that but not me.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by freidenbach

Unlike the geologists who are still living in OR, I've been self-employed for most of my career.

A lot of geologists work for private firms - yes, the pay is generally reasonably good working for an engineering company (although it can be contract work), but the required entry degree is also either a Master's or PhD and there are always more people looking for a job in the field than there are people hiring (which keeps the pay down).

I am a geologist, I worked with many of the people who did the pioneering research on the Cascadia Subduction Zone and I still live here. I don't live in low-lying areas of the coast (although I camp there frequently) or in an area prone to liquefaction, and I have a couple weeks worth of water/food/gear stocked.

[Russspeak]

Originally Posted by PNW-type-gal

A lot of geologists work for private firms - yes, the pay is generally reasonably good working for an engineering company (although it can be contract work), but the required entry degree is also either a Master's or PhD and there are always more people looking for a job in the field than there are people hiring (which keeps the pay down).

I am a geologist, I worked with many of the people who did the pioneering research on the Cascadia Subduction Zone and I still live here. I don't live in low-lying areas of the coast (although I camp there frequently) or in an area prone to liquefaction, and I have a couple weeks worth of water/food/gear stocked.

Hi PNW, so as a geologist are you currently working in the field? I'm actually interested in talking with someone who would be familiar with the kinds of soils and their distribution throughout this area. My interest is two-fold - primarily I'm interested in the types of clays and percentage that makeup the soil compostition because if I do decide to build with CEB's, it's important to have a good ratio of clay/silt/sand and that the clay be of the non expansive variety which is best for that application.

And I'm also looking for advice as to performing percolation tests - I've read so much about how strict the buildiing code is concerning this issue that I'd like to know how to do a rudimentary test which could at least weed out those properties which are most unsuitable for residential building.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by Russspeak

........ I'd like to know how to do a rudimentary test which could at least weed out those properties which are most unsuitable for residential building.

A perk test hole is big enough that I seriously doubt that anyone is going to allow you to dig one just because you might think about buying their property.

When you buy land, you make a contingency in your offer that the property will pass a perk test for whatever type pf septic you want to have.